SLIDESHOW: Best Community Garden

We received a bumper entry for this year’s popular contest, run with Frosts at Willington.

This week we continue to profile the projects and gardens that have been awarded prizes this year, and today it’s the turn for the Best Community Garden.

Milburn Community Gardens in Goldington has become a hive of activity for gardeners as well as a place to meet, enjoy the outdoors and get to know fellow residents in a safe environment.

Pupils from Putnoe Lower and Mark Rutherford Schools visit regularly to work on the plots, a mum and toddler group are presently among those busy enjoying the picking season, while residents have helped out with a watering rota.

Volunteer Kathy Wright, who is at the site every Tuesday from 10am until noon, is delighted with this first award for the community garden which is just off Needwood Road.

She said: “I think it has won because it involves a lot of the local community, especially people living in flats, and they all have an opportunity to get to know each other.”

She’s delighted that so many youngsters enjoy the scheme and added: “I’m concerned about promoting veg and what they look like in the ground rather than the supermarket.”

All manner of delicious veggies are growing on four plots, each approximately the size of an average garden. The site was previously a disused garage area owned by the Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association (BPHA) and the projet got underway in 2008 thanks to Lottery funding.

The restored site is now a colourful area of flowers and vegetables, a credit to all the people who have worked hard to see the project literally bloom.

This year a new shelter was unveiled and the site has been supported by Tesco, through community champion Celia Chillingworth, who visits every Tuesday.